Drill



H. R. DECKER April 29, 1930.

DRILL Filed Sept. 2'7, 1926 lOa.

Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY R. DECKER,

OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOB TO DECKER OIL TOOL COMPANY,

HOUSTON, TEXAS, A. CORPORATION OF TEXAS DRILL Application filed September 27, 1926. Serial No. 137,912.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a drill.

One object of the invention is to provlde a drill particularly designed for boring through rock and other hard formations and which embodies a head and rotatable cutting members mounted on spindles carried by the head, and the invention relates more specifically to a novel means for retaining said cutting members on said spindles. I

Another object of the inventlon 'res1des 1n a drill of the character described which mcludes novel means for securing the rotatable cutters on the spindles of the head whereby the cutters may be easily secured, and securely retained on said spindles and at thesame time may be readily removed for repairs or replacements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drill of the character described, which embodies novel bearings for the cutters on the spindles.

With the above and other objects in view this invention has relation to certainnovel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, where1n:-

Figure 1 shows a side elevation. of the drill shown partly in section, showing the cutter retaining means and spindle bearing.

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary vertical sectional view thereof showing the means for retaining the rotatable cutter on its spindle and showing another type of bearing for said cutter.

Figures 3 and 4 shows fragmentary vertical sectional views of the drill showing other types of cutter bearings on the spindle.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures the numeral 1 designates the head, as a whole, which for convenience in assembly is preferably formed of two sections having the fiat faces, which fit together along the longitudinal central line 2. The upper end of the head is reduced and outwardly threaded, as at 3, to receive a drill collar for attaching the drill to the drill stem, said collar also forming means for securing the sections of the head together, said sections being also held together by suitable transverse bolts, as 4.

The extreme upper end of the head is further ters may be of any desired contour, but will usually be approximately frusto-conical in form.

As shown in Figure 1 the outer end of the spindle 8 is reduced and a bearing member 10, preferably of brass, or bronze, and approximately frusto-conical in general contour is fitted over said reduced end and screwed thereon. As shown in Figure 2 the outerend of the spindle is fitted through a sleeve-like bearing 10*, preferably of brass or bronze, and frusto-conical in general contour, and in Figure 3 the spindle 8 is shown fitted through a sleeve-like bearing 10, of fusible metal, preferably frusto conical in form, while in Figure 4 roller bearings, as 1O surround the outer end of the spindle.

The cutters 9, 9*, 9" and 9 are fitted over these respective spindles and are retained thereon, as hereinafter explained and the respective spindle bearings take the Wear and thus protect the spindles. There is a bearing Washer 11 interposed between each bearing face 7 and the corresponding cutter so as to prevent any wear on the head. The head and its spindles are thus protected from wear so that only the cutters have to be replaced from time to time.

In drills of this type it. has heretofore been difiicult to retain the cutters on the spindles except by the use of a construction that is expensive to provide and difiicult to assemble. In the drill herein shown and described a very simple, efficient and inexpensive means for retaining the cutters on the spindles is disclosed, which constitutes one of the main features of this invention and which will now be described.

Each spindle has an annular peripheral groove 12 and each cutter has an internal annular groove 13, said grooves registering when the parts are assembled to form an an nular channel and fusible metal, such a solder, is then poured, while melted, through the port, or gate 14, into this channel, said port being normally closed by the plug 15. This metal, when it hardens forms an annular key 16, which retains the cutter on its spindle and in order to prevent this annular key 16 from turning on the spindle the spindle groove 13 has the spaced sockets 17 into which the molten metal runs to form the studs 18 so that said key will remain stationary with the spindle and form a bearing around which the cutter runs, andat the same time serving to lock the cutter against detachment from said spindle.

The bearing 10 is likewise formed of fusible metal and is poured into place in a molten state through the gate 19, which is normally closed by the plug 20. The spindle 8 has an external annular groove 21 and the cutter 9 has an internal annular groove 22, said grooves forming keyways. into which the metal keys to retain said bearing 10 on its spindle.

When it is desired to remove a cutter from its spindle to repair it or to replace it with another, the cutter may be heated to melt said fusible metal retaining means and may then be removed from its spindle. The heat required to melt this metal will not be sufficient to injure either the cutter or the head.

What I claim is:

1. A drill including a head, a spindle thereon, a rotatable cutter on said spindle, said spindle having an external annular groove and the cutter having an internal annular groove, said grooves registering, when said parts are assembled to form an annular channel, wall sockets in said channel, a fusible metal ring filling said channel and sockets and retaining the cutter on the spindle.

2. A drill including a head, a spindle thereon, a rotatable cutter on said spindle, said spindle having an external annular groove and the cutter having an internal annular groove, said grooves registering, when said parts are assembled, to form an annular channel having a wall socket, a fusible metal ring filling said channel and retaining the cutter on the spindle and a in on the ring projecting into said socket or preventing the rotation of the ring relative to the spindle.

3. A drill including a head, a spindle thereon, a rotatable cutter on the spindle, said spindle and cutter having grooves adapted to register when said parts are assembled to form an annular channel between them, a fusible metal retaining ring in said channel and detachable bearing means around the free end of the spindle between said cutter and spindle.

4. A drill including a head, a spindle thereon, a rotatable cutter on the spindle, said spindle and cutter having registering grooves formlng an annular channel between them, a cutter retaining ring in said channel and retaining the cutter on the spindle and a bearing member formed of fusible metal interposed between the free'end of said spindle and cutter, said spindle and cutter each having a groove into which said fusible metal keys to anchor said bearing in place.

5. In a drill two relatively rotatable parts, one part being formed into a cutter, each part being formed with an annular groove, said grooves registering when said parts are assembled, to form a channel and a fusible metal ring in said channel to retain said parts against separation.

6. The method of assembling a rotatable part with a relatively stationary part, which consists in forming grooves in the respective parts so located'as to register when the parts are assembled, to form an enclosed chamber, providing said chamber with a gate and with a wallsocket, and filling said chamber and socket with fusible material, through said gate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY R. DECKER. 

